Role Readiness Map
What each role should be able to do after completing its track. The goal: comfortably handle — or appropriately escalate — 90–95% of common issues in a busy cardiology clinic or hospital, within your role's scope.
APP / NP / PA
The deepest track. Clinical reasoning that holds up on rounds — built for APP scope, so you can think like you’ve been in the clinic for years, not weeks.
Readiness target
After the APP track, you should be able to handle or appropriately escalate the large majority of common cardiology issues within APP scope.
After this track, you should be able to
- ✓Recognize unstable cardiology patients at a glance.
- ✓Evaluate chest pain, dyspnea, palpitations, syncope, and edema.
- ✓Select appropriate initial tests for each presentation.
- ✓Interpret common EKG, lab, echo-report, and cath-report findings at an APP level.
- ✓Manage common outpatient conditions: HTN, lipids, CAD, HF, AFib, valves, PAD/venous disease.
- ✓Handle common inpatient consult issues: troponin, ADHF, AFib with RVR, pre-op, syncope, bradycardia.
- ✓Titrate common medications with renal, potassium, BP, and HR monitoring.
- ✓Write a strong, defensible cardiology assessment and plan.
- ✓Know exactly when to escalate to the physician, ER, or hospital.
Stays out of scope
- ✕Does not perform procedures.
- ✕Does not independently interpret raw imaging as an imager.
- ✕Does not replace physician supervision, credentialing, or institutional competency assessment.
Nurse
Structured triage, education, and safe routing. Nurses identify urgency and gather the right information — without diagnosing or independently treating.
Readiness target
After the Nurse track, you should be able to triage common cardiology calls and visits and route them safely.
After this track, you should be able to
- ✓Use a structured phone-triage framework.
- ✓Recognize cardiac red flags quickly.
- ✓Gather actionable symptom, vital, medication, and lab data.
- ✓Route urgent versus routine issues safely.
- ✓Reinforce patient education accurately.
- ✓Communicate provider-ready SBAR summaries.
- ✓Support HF, AFib, HTN, lipid, post-cath, and device/wound workflows.
Stays out of scope
- ✕Does not diagnose.
- ✕Does not independently start or change treatment.
- ✕Works within institutional protocols and provider direction.
MA / Nurse Tech
Accurate rooming, vitals, and data capture, plus recognizing red flags and alerting the right person. No independent triage, diagnosis, or treatment decisions.
Readiness target
After the MA track, you should be able to room cardiology patients consistently and surface red flags to the nurse or provider.
After this track, you should be able to
- ✓Room cardiology patients consistently.
- ✓Obtain accurate vitals, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and weight.
- ✓Capture the chief complaint without over-interpreting it.
- ✓Reconcile medications and allergies accurately.
- ✓Acquire clean EKGs and recognize artifact or lead issues.
- ✓Prepare patients for tests and procedures.
- ✓Recognize red flags and alert the nurse or provider.
Stays out of scope
- ✕No independent triage.
- ✕No diagnosis or medication advice.
- ✕No treatment decisions.
Student
A beginner on-ramp. Vocabulary, basic anatomy and physiology, common symptoms, tests, and how to present a cardiology patient — preparing to enter the APP track.
Readiness target
After the Student track, you should understand cardiology basics and be prepared to begin the APP track.
After this track, you should be able to
- ✓Understand basic cardiology vocabulary.
- ✓Know common symptoms, tests, and medication classes.
- ✓Recognize basic red flags.
- ✓Present a simple cardiology patient.
- ✓Be prepared to enter the APP track.
Stays out of scope
- ✕Learns under supervision.
- ✕Does not diagnose or treat.
- ✕Focuses on recognizing red flags and gathering good information.